If you are a newbie who is currently thinking about joining the world of the internet. If you are wanting to start up a blog or website for the first time. Then the one thing you need to do first is to make sure you do your research. This is something I cannot stress enough, and the reason for it is simple: Any research you do up front, if you implement it properly, could be the key factor in deciding whether or not your blog or website idea will succeed out in the massive world of the internet later on.

So for any newbie out there who is considering the possibility of starting a blog or website, and wanting to do so for the purpose of developing a readership, a following, and to hopefully make money with it in one way or another—then this article is for you. And especially if you are of the belief that just because you may personally like or enjoy something, then obviously others will too….But in some cases however—nothing could be further from the truth.

Contrary to the popular belief of the person who may be reading this, not everyone out there is going to be interested in the same thing(s) you are. And like it or not, that is a Cold Hard Truth….Sure, you have a hobby you enjoy. Or maybe there are certain types of merchandise you personally like. And as a result you are looking to create a blog around that hobby, or wanting to bring in an extra income by selling those same types of merchandise to any potential customers via an ecommerce site….Well. I hate to burst the readers’ bubble, but it’s a 50/50 chance, at best in some cases, that your well-intentioned idea is not going to go as far as what you think it will. And the reason I know all of this—I made the same mistake myself.

My Failed History

At one time—the latter part of 2011 actually—I was that individual who thought the idea I had for a blog would go a long way. I thought it would bring in thousands of readers and followers of what I was personally interested in myself. That others would think the same way I do concerning a particular subject, and that they would also want to purchase the merchandise that I was listing on that same blog. Or at the very least, maybe others would occasionally be interested in reading what I had to say about the subject.

Boy was I ever wrong on that one.

As it turned out, I wasted an entire year of my time working on that blog. Thankfully though, it did not cost me much to keep it going—two years worth of domain name fees, a few domain extras, and the time I spent writing each post—but it could have been a lot worse. At least I didn’t spend a few hundred dollars on it, or possibly even much more for that matter….And just to let you know, I spent approximately fifty dollars on that project.

Looking back, in hindsight, a check of the main reason why I did not get very far with that blog idea—I did not do nearly enough research into how popular my idea would be, or not to be as it turned out….Pure and simple, I was under the mistaken belief that others out there would be into that same particular interest as I was….But so much for that idea….

Research is Key

Now then, with that particular part of my failed history at creating what I thought would be a popular blog out of the way, it’s time for me to get to the main thing that I should have done before hand. Before I created that blog in the first place. And that is research, without question.

Always remember, no matter how good you think your blog or website idea might be, in your own mind anyway—it does not mean others out there are going to think the same way. So you must not forget to do your research. It is definitely a big key.

Places to Research:

Similar blog subjects

Niche forums

Online articles

How many are out there that are based around your same idea; how much of a readership do they have; what is their ranking. All of this information can tell you just how popular your idea could actually become, or not. And just because your idea may be popular on someone else’s blog or website, this does not mean it will do the same for you….Basically, it’s a gamble.

Personally, I will admit that I do like gambling occasionally, but not the business kind, if it’s at all possible. Though sometimes, like it or not unfortunately, it is unavoidable.

So make sure you take your time with it. Research every possibility you can think of. And be patient. Otherwise you could end up putting a lot of time, work, and possibly a good amount of money into an idea that may not pay off for you in the long run.

A Different Route

Now on the other hand, if you do decide to go another route with your blog or website idea, after discovering that your preferred idea is not very popular, then go ahead and research other areas of interest that you may have in mind….After all, there is an unlimited potential on the internet for making money.

And the thing about it is, research can also take you in so many different directions. It just depends on how willing you are to follow those directions. You could end up going down the money-making road of an online idea that you might not have even considered.

So do yourself a favor, before you commit to your original idea. Write out a complete list of everything you are interested in, regardless of how long that list may turn out to be. (If you’re like me, where research is concerned, something mentioned while reading about one idea can lead you in so many other directions.) Then, once you have finished writing your list, go through it. Look it over carefully. Then create a second list using the ideas from the first list, only put them in order of what you want to research first, according to what you prefer most. And if you wind up marking a few ideas off your list, that’s fine too.

Just remember that research, though it is virtually free to do, can take time. Maybe only a few hours, a few days, or possibly even a few weeks or more. But it is better to spend time researching your potential ideas, and then discarding them if they do not turn out to be potentially fruitful, rather than putting your hard earned cash into an idea that may turn out to be a failure later down the road.